You make a very good point, but I might argue that these restaurants are not exactly private establishments. They do invite the public in, and don’t have overt restrictions on who can or cannot be there (unlike a private club, for example). And if they did have such restrictions, I don’t think it would go down very well. Just as there has been greater attention paid to making restaurants smoke-free and family-friendly (in some cases), perhaps if restaurateurs were informed about how noise affects some of their customers, they might make changes. I think it is in their best interests to keep potential patrons happy.

Sari:

I agree that loud music can be a huge part of the problem. I think it’s a great point that restaurants are sometimes setting the expectations through their choices about what is an acceptable background noise level.

Although, I feel that sometimes excessive noise can be the fault of the restaurant. When the music is up too loud or the music is exceptionally fast (like techno or trance) patrons are more likely to raise their voices over the din to talk with their dinner companions. On the other hand, restaurants with the music at a low volume (or no music at all) tend to have fewer people talking loudly. Sometimes subtle cues on appropriate noise level (quieter servers, low-volume music, etc) can keep noise at bay.

Also, I’d love it if reviews made a mention of the temperature in each restaurant. I hate eating when I’m shivering.

On the other hand, I applaud the fact that you’re here vouching for our preferences.